EUMETSAT Approves New Strategy and Move of METEOSAT-8 Over the Indian Ocean

Named “Challenge 2025”, the new strategy targets the smooth transition from the current to the next generation of EUMETSAT satellite systems and responds to the “big data” challenge with a roadmap of pathfinder projects for future data services aimed at providing more and better data access services for users.

The strategy also foresees a continued role of EUMETSAT in Copernicus and further cooperation with international partners.

As a first step in the implementation of the strategy “Challenge 2025”, the Council approved to move Meteosat-8 over the Indian Ocean, to 41.5°E longitude, as EUMETSAT’s best-effort contribution to multi-partner Indian Ocean Data Coverage (IODC) services involving also geostationary satellites from India, Russia and China.

The implementation of the EUMETSAT Polar System Second Generation (EPS-SG) programme progressed further at this Council session, with the approval of the cooperation agreement with the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) for the development of three METimage instruments and of one important ground segment development contract covering all systems required to command and control the operations of the Metop-SG satellites from Darmstadt.

Council finally approved the Third Continuous Development and Operations Phase (CDOP 3) of EUMETSAT’s eight Satellite Application Facilities (SAF) covering the period 2017-2022. During CDOP-3, the SAFs will continue to deliver and enhance the current set of operational environmental products and develop new products, including “Day 1” products from MTG and EPS-SG.

About EUMETSATThe European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites is an intergovernmental organisation based in Darmstadt, Germany, currently with 30 Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom) and one Cooperating State (Serbia).

EUMETSAT operates the geostationary satellites Meteosat-8, -9, -10 and -11 over Europe and Africa, and Meteosat-7 over the Indian Ocean.

EUMETSAT also operates two Metop polar-orbiting satellites as part of the Initial Joint Polar System (IJPS) shared with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

EUMETSAT is also a partner in the cooperative high precision ocean altimetry Jason missions involving Europe and the United States (Jason-2, Jason-3 and Jason-CS/Sentinel-6).

The data and products from EUMETSAT’s satellites are vital to weather forecasting and make a significant contribution to the monitoring of environment and climate change.

After completion of the in-orbit commissioning of Sentinel-3A, EUMETSAT will exploit the Copernicus Sentinel-3 marine mission in cooperation withESA and on behalf of the EU, and deliver data services to the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service and users.